A Don Don Day

 Football from the 2026 Lot today and we do get a few interesting cards from it...

Image variations from base cards. I can understand why these would not necessarily be picked out from a lot when someone is going through quickly because, if you don't know, they don't look like anything overly special. They don't go for crazy money but may be a buck or two cards which is nice, but cool to find them. Now, I like a good variation, but you should be able to tell because it should stand out for being THAT different, but maybe that's just my opinion.

The DOnruss football designs aren't too shabby. Better than much of the Panini names products in my opinon.

The slashing designs of the early 20s will be a thing remember between this and some of the flagship Topps baseball designs.

I don't mind the newer football as it does seem to have some draw on TCDB and I'lll be all up for trading away much of it for cards I do want once I get through the lot. Anyone who can't wait though, just reach out. 2026 has been a bit slower on trades but that's mostly my fault for not searching them out.

SPecial

We can start with something special - great trades with TCDB members, and today's is one with member Amagee.

The baseball content is all 2024 Topps Archives which as usual, can't decide on a single base set retro design, so we get multiple - yay? I am not sure why Varsho appears to be playing in the street - but that is definitely what it appears to be.

We get a couple more Leaf cards from the pop-up Black's set from the early 90s - I am about 2/3 of the way done on that 24 card set.

The Ultra Doug replaces one I am putting into my error binder as it has a nice heavy crimp across it.

2000 Pacific Aurora was not the Mats card I thought I was getting. Not a big deal at all, but instead of the base, this is the parallel striped version. I don't think the value is anything different really, but a small correction when entering into my collection.

We then add more 2025-26 Timmies Leafs with Tavares being a copy which will go to the set build.

Awesome trade and very special to me, thank you Amagee!

Maybe I should have called it an Authentic post, but either way, we get a chunk of cards from 2022-23 SP Authentic hockey today, and with just over half the pure base set of 100 cards, it would be tempting to collect, but I'm going to show a little restraint. 

Oh, Johnny will be staying. First copy of the card for me, and a nice design for what it is. I think I always prefer a full background action shot, but the design isn't overly offensive here.

Using the accent colour being the team colour for the background definitely helps lift these cards from just being on a generic designed black and white nothing. As usaul, a 100 card base set does allow highlighting of mostly all stars or stars of the really good variety.

If you told me the back was from a flagship Upper Deck release, I'd believe you - save for the name being on it, but you get my point. If you like the flagship backs, you should like these. I still want to petition for full stats for the veterans. Heck, get rid of the picture on the back if you need to. I want me some big stat boxes!

A nice almost twinsies ending with very similar goalie cards. A decent bunch, just not for me, so would love to get a solid starter set to anyone interested.

Looking Mosaic

The lot continues to give-eth a Mosaic of sets, and with basketball, Mosaic has come up before, and here we get more of 2019-20.

I am definitely not getting a full base set - some of the cards have been missing so far, and this doesn't hit on those, so I figure at this point, they must have been purposefully pulled before the lot got into my hands. Not a big deal since it's easier to split apart and trade if it's not a complete set.

Classic Panini being Panini in design, but not the most offensive so I'm okay with the set. Good time to be a Raps fan - Pascal was a great player to watch grow in his time with the Raptors and really find himself as a player.

It's interestig the stars do seem to be left in which does make for easier trade bait. Maybe not all of them, but enough.

Not sure there is much more of this set to be found in the lot...and that's okay. Enough for being able to find trades but not so much that I'll never get rid of it all....1989 Topps baseball....I'm looking at you....

Trade Catchup - Thebradford16

Last trade for now to share and go through. There will be others, but this will catch me up for now. Today's trade - some baseball and some wrestling, which is always good. I like the fact I was able to trade away a wrestling card - a Becky Lynch because Thebradford16's wife likes her. 

Yes, I picked up a Triple Play card in a trade. Yes, it was a different one than what I thought I was getting. Yes I am keeping it anyway and still looking for another Triple Play card. Also, yes, these Triple Play cards are still rough to see and collect for what they are.

Similar, but very different, 2021 Leaf Draft and Pro Set cards are tough to collect. Not to find, but the names and lack of license, I don't have much draw to have, but at least I don't have to worry, now having all three Jays cards in each base set.

If you are going to go unlicensed, the Donruss cards at least look a lot better in my opinion.

Since I was giving wrestling cards, I did keep an eye out to ensure a few were coming back my way.

Hornswaggle from a set that is now 17 years old (scary) with 2009 Topps, A rainbow foil Angel, and a nice Shock Wave insert from 2021 Panini Revolution of Xia Li.

I do stick by that, one of these years, I am going to try and do a trade a day, or at least have a trade a day to share on the blog. That would be very cool, though maybe a tad expensive.

Trade Catchup - jambieyes + KennyG9260

 Keeping on with keeping on the trade sharing, we have one today with TCDB member jambieyes who sent set help and Toronto cards. What were they? Well....

We start with some hockey helpers.

A few early 90s cards which actually don't finish up team sets as I still have some holes in some "not quite junk era, but not long after" hockey sets.

Belak is a second copy as I work on a set for Be A Player, as well as of course needing Leaf dupes for the team set.

Though the name is misleading, I do like the Mask set look and Tucker is a nice pickup there.

Rasmus is a one and done Leaf team set for the 2019-20 Upper Deck Allure Top 50 insert set, while I get to finish with Bobby McMann from the 2024-25 flagship Upper Deck release.

It wasn't just Leaf cards though...we got some baseball too!

We start with a few more additions for the slow 1982 Topps build.

Jimmy Key is the second of two Jays for the 1988 Fleer SuperStars set, so another team set complete. Same is true of the 2016 Donruss Power Alley card as it's the second of two Jays in that set as well. Sweet!

Hard not to check out the Pacific Revolution card with all the craziness that was Pacific designs in the late 90s, but a great trade again, and more thanks to be given! Definitely makes for a nice summer day to be able to share a nice PWE trade.

I also had another small trade - two cards-  also come in recently as well, this one from TCDB first time trade partner KennyG9260.

I don't usually do very small trades like a couple cards, but I have been a little more open to them. I figure if someone else proposes them, they must really want the cards going there way. I won't change and offer small trades, I do try and fill the envelope, but more open to receiving such offers and accepting.

Here, the couple additions get all but the rookie and short prints for my Leafs left in the 2024-25 Upper Deck MVP base set now.

Not many cards, but doesn't have to be to be a nice trade!

Trade Catchup - Darth Panzer

 Another PWE, and more Toronto cards my way, here covering both baseball and hockey, coming from Darth Panzer.

I like the base Donaldson card from 2016 Topps Chrome so getting the sepia refractor version - my second sepia refractor for this set, is really cool. I enjoyed Josh as a Jay, glad to have the cards to remember his time with the team fondly.

Doesn't hurt getting the couple other Josh cards given that sentiment, right?

I can't put my finger on it, but I'm not sold on Berrios. I guess that kind of goes with his place on things - not going to be a one or two guy in the rotation for Toronto these days.

One more base set assist with the OTHER Jose, and then we get a couple new to me O Pee Chee glossy cards from 2024-05 leaving one more for the team set. I know it's a long time passed, but O Pee Chee and glossy cards just don't go together in my mind. O Pee Chee means cardboard and means lighter coloured cardboard compared to Topps versions.

Still - all in, makes for a fantastic PWE trade!

Trade Catchup - nkandy11

I have a few trades that I scanned, but have been sitting to share and I really should catch up on those, so expect a few days of trade recaps as I like to let each trade shine on it's own. I mean, it was good enough to do a trade over, so it's good enough to have a spotlight for sharing with you all.

This PWE trade came from TCDB member nkandy11, which you knew already because my blog titles are not always the most cryptic.

Charlie O'Brien is the last Jay base card I needed to complete my team base set of 17 Jays from 1997 Collector's Choice - yay!

 Tom Evans gets to highlight that 1998 Collector's Choice had variations for holograms - so yeah - a couple versions of most cards out there to collect.

Vernon Wells from 2003 Donruss Elite - still work to go on that team set.

Shannon Stewart from 2003 Playoff Prestige is actually my first base Jay in that set...nice!

Last up is the Vernon from 2004 Playoff Honors - I have a few but not all.

Definitely years I have lots to collect from - late 90s, early 2000s, and trades like this definitely help!

Upper Hand

Today from the 2026 Lot, we stick to some Upper Deck hockey, highlighted by some Leaf additions...

The green of the St. Pats looks so different and stands out compared to the usual blue. A second copy of the card for me, and I do have a copy of the oversized version too, but nice pick up.

A mid-air Kerfoot and Reilly makes for a nice hat trick.

Actually, some solid set help too with a bunch of keepers for base builds...

Not a lot of mid-2010 set help, but good 2020s help.

In 2027, when I go through my unopened boxes and packs that I have purchased but not had time for, I should be able to finish, or close to finish, a couple MVP sets, but the help here is good too.

For those looking for help themselves, here are the cards up for trade...

Still not working on 2022-23 flagship Upper Deck...if anyone wants a decent start.

The Lots Odds

Today, not a lot of cards but what may be the nibbles of cards a bit outside the big four, but we start with a couple great keepers.

I wasn't expecting to see any wrestling cards, but to get a Big Poppa Pump and a mid-80s great condition card are great pick ups. I remember Danny Davis and the ref to wrestler move he made starting at Wrestlemani III.

Not thr most looney cards today though...

Definitely not my thing as far as card collecting goes, I did watch a LOT of Bugs and friends as a kid. I don't need the cards though, and the front and back picture may work to tell cartoons when in order, but I don't love the front and back card "front" design.

We end with a few nice looking soccer cards, a single Goodwin and a Pokémon code card. 

Antonio went 27-0 before losing a title match which was his fiest loss before ending his career a couple matches later with a 28-2 record.

Lots can bring up anything which is they can be so fun!

The Second Half

Before the trade share, a quick note on the Jays moves at the trade deadline. First, Hoffman had to go given he lost his closer spot here and needed the move to get his career back on track, possibly. Gausman was sad to see go, but was the right business decision and right result given what the Jays got back. I expect they may have felt his price tag or desire to be in Torobto after his contract was up would be hard to overcome and bring him back. I don't think the moves will provide much help for this year, but hopefully bring improvement for 2027.

A week or so ago, I shared half a trade, thinking the other half was lost in transit. Well, the trade with TCDB member yrrcwc was....redirected. Apparently it arrived back at the starting point with a note it was undeliverable. This made NO sense because it was mailed the same day, same addressing, everything. It happens though at times, and happily not too often, but let's share what was in that delayed half of the trade...

A few baseball error cards for the error collection, along with a couple Jays in Batista and Ryan. We get one more base card set helper circa 2021 Topps, and then some wrestling!

Kurt Angle, obviously from early in his career as he still has hair, and then a bunch of Chrome/Finest to finish the trade envelope.

Between the two designs, I prefer Chrome, but they are both alright. ALways like seeing Mr. Ripley as Buddy didn't get as good a go in WWE as I think he deserved. I have similar feelings about Johnny Gargano, though his NXT time was amazing.

In this bunch of cards, Samoa Joe looks a bit beefy in the picture. It's beefy with muscle, but still beefy. A shame Big E didn't get a longer career given the unfortunate career ending injury as I would have liked to see him hang around the main event and upper-middle card picture for a while longer.

At least this puts the whole trade to rest!

Another trade which at least showed up as a single PWE....well, because it was a single PWE, was my second trade with mzentko. First trade was three years ago, but I remembered the name, and had a second great experience.

The three 1989 Panini Stickers were a generous add on in the trade and were unexpected. Awesome as they bring my Jays needs to a single remaining sticker to complete the team set, very cool.

This trade was really about me knocking off some 2020 and 2021 Topps flagship needs. I still have about 75 cards to go on the 2020 set, but 2021 is down to less than a dozen. If I can get that set done it will be the largest "new" set I have completed in a while.

For those who have followed along, I got most of the 2020 and 2021 sets from a base lot purchases a while ago, but the rookie cards in large part, had been pulled before the lot got to me. Not a big surprise as those are the gambling man's investment, but I've been working on filling the holes, and it's why many of the cards here are rookie cards.

Always up for a nice Jays pick up of course, which is where Vladdy gets tacked on from as well.

These trades also, finally, put me more on track with prior years and my trade numbers. It's been a bit slower this year, purposely, because of wanting to get through the 2026 Lot, but all good as it's nice to vary up how we collect.

Same But Different

 A shorter post today as we hit some more Donruss cards in the 2026 Lot, except it's of the Optic variety so we get the shinier cards.

I will say, it's nice getting some stars scattered in the set - John Elway being a perfect example. It's funny how the quality of the pictures becomes so obvious though.

It's funny, as a kid watching sports in the 90s, you'd see footage of the 70s and it would look horrible....now it's about the same looking back at the 90s now. Just a reminder I'm getting old!

Speaking of past sars - Dan Marino definitely goes into that group.

Not too many cards in the set for sharing today, but I do like this design better with football than with basketball. Maybe the green backs being akin to the colour of the football field is what does it....